<p><em>Mr. Abba Ali Yarima Mustapha, UNODC Officer/Nigeria, Dr. Faraaz Mahomed, a clinical psychologist and researcher at the University of the Witwatersrand, Dr. Alexandra Souza Martins, UNODC/ENDVAC Team Leader, and Dr. Joanna Lai, Health Specialist at UNICEF, 20 September 2024, the Science </em><em>Summit, New York. </em></p>
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Mr. Abba Ali Yarima Mustapha, UNODC Officer/Nigeria, Dr. Faraaz Mahomed, a clinical psychologist and researcher at the University of the Witwatersrand, Dr. Alexandra Souza Martins, UNODC/ENDVAC Team Leader, and Dr. Joanna Lai, Health Specialist at UNICEF, 20 September 2024, the Science Summit, New York.

Unlocking the science of adolescent brain development to promote effective policy and practice - UNGA79

UNODC and UNICEF premiered their first-ever paper series and advocacy brief during the 79th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA79), on 20 September in New York.
The discussion at the Science Summit focused on unlocking the science of adolescent brain development to promote effective policy and practice.

Event Overview

The challenges facing today’s young people are vast and complex. UNODC and UNICEF respond by promoting the potential that adolescent-centered policies have to improve societal wellbeing and safety. Dr. Joanna Lai, Health Specialist at UNICEF, opened the event by underlining the importance of understanding adolescence as a unique stage of life. She argued that there is a need for policies that nurture during this critical period of development; and had set the stage for an expert panel to explore the intricacies of adolescent development and the impact of policies on young lives:

Understanding Adolescence: WHO’s Dr. Prerna Banati delved into the characteristics that mark adolescence as a transformative yet vulnerable time. She explained the way in which changes in the adolescent brain influence behaviours, decision-making and psychological development, making this a developmental stage unlike any other.

Impact of Adversity, Violence, and Trauma: Dr. Faraaz Mahomed, a clinical psychologist and researcher at the University of the Witwatersrand, described the profound impact that violence, trauma and mental health challenges have on adolescent development. He explained the way in which these adversities shape long-term outcomes and the importance of crafting targeted interventions in response.

Moving Towards Adolescent-Centered Policies: UNODC’s Dr. Alexandra Souza Martins challenged the traditional corrective and punitive approaches to dealing with adolescents, advocating instead for policies and practices that are rights-based; grounded in brain science; and respectful of adolescents as co-creators of peace, justice and development.

The Power of Youth Leadership: UNODC's Mr. Abba Ali Yarima Mustapha shared his personal journey as a young person working with policymakers and practitioners in conflict affected communities. His story highlighted the way in which youth can influence policy and inspire change; offering insights into effective ways to ensure that young people are truly heard and valued.

Story - Unlocking the science of adolescence to promote effective policy and practice

Advocacy Brief

Adolescents (10-19 years old) are navigating a world marked by constant uncertainty and rapid change, disrupting key areas like global health, security, and education.

Despite clear evidence that adolescents drive national and global change, traditi onal policy often overlooks their potential. A defining question for realizing a world of greater wellbeing and safety is: ‘How can policymakers, institutions, and community networks engage with young people to improve individual and societal wellbeing outcomes and the implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child?’

Read the Advocacy Brief...

Science Paper

This paper summarizes key learnings from research on the adolescent brain, focusing on its rapid development and adaptive capacity. Adolescence is an es-pecially complex time and is often characterised by behaviours and emotions that may be unpredictable and that change rapidly. Risk-taking, reward seeking, impulsivity and challenging of norms and rules are functionally important and de-velopmentally appropriate for adolescents as they develop their critical thinking skills over time. Similarly, an emphasis on social relationships and a need for stimulation are developmentally appropriate. Adverse circumstances, including violence perpe-trated by others, can have an impact on the development of the adolescent brain, with the result that some of these behaviours might become more pronounced or might present as challenges for caregivers, educators, policymakers and vari-ous practitioners. These behaviours, sometimes labelled as ‘problematic’ – particularly when they transgress norms, result in conflicts or cause adolescents to harm themselves or others – tend to elicit punitive and pathologizing responses, without taking into account adolescent developmental processes as well as potential exposure to adversity, violence and/or trauma. This paper explores these developmental pro-cesses and suggests that adaptability of the adolescent brain can be harnessed to aid recovery and improve practices across sectors such as law, health, social protection, and education, with the ultimate goal of supporting adolescents’ ca-pabilities to thrive.

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Policy Paper

This paper is part of a series aiming to promote a paradigm shift in the understanding and approaches to dealing with adolescents in the context of education, health, child protection and justice systems, and by policy makers. The first paper provides an overview of the developmental processes that characterize adolescence. It explains how behaviours that can be seen as disruptive are rooted in adolescents’ developmental needs and clarifies how adversity, violence and trauma can further contribute to behaviours that are in conflict with societal norms. This second paper focuses on promoting policy responses that capitalize on such scientific knowledge to design and implement adolescent-centered policies and interventions that protect and fulfil their specific rights as set out in the Convention on the Rights of the Child.1 In particular, it aims to promote a shift from approaches that focus on ‘correcting’ the behaviours that are perceived as disruptive, through punitive or repressive methods, towards approaches that value the specificity of this period of development and focus on promoting the cultivation of environments, policies and practices that supports adolescents’ capacities to thrive. To do so, the paper emphasizes the importance of adolescence as a distinct period of growth, on participatory approaches and on trauma-informed practices.

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United Nations

Office on Drugs and Crime

End Violence Against Children (END VAC)